Blazing Strike Pays Loving Homage To The 2D Glory Days Of The Fighting Genre

Blazing Strike’s original release date was set for early 2017, under Steam’s now defunct Greenlight program. Blazing Strike has finally launched in 2022, having been fine tuned, refinanced using different ways, and given a complete visual makeover. It was a new build that I played and I am impressed by how it pays homage to 2D fighters from my childhood in the 1990s.

RareBreed Makes Games, a developer of Steam games, delayed indefinitely the playable Steam demo. Following an abandoned Kickstarter campaign in 2019, the dev moved funding efforts to Patreon and decided to rework the visuals from custom-shaded 3D to full 2D pixel art. In May 2021, RareBreed Makes Games announced it had secured a publishing deal with Aksys Games, a publisher known in the fighting game space for its work on franchises like Guilty Gear, BlazBlue, and Under Night In-Birth. 

The 2D fighting genre is alive and well, thanks to shows like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. But that doesn’t stop RareBreed Making Games from paying homage to those iconic games. Blazing Strike, which draws inspiration from classic series such as Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom is an exciting blast from the past. However, Blazing Strike goes beyond just derivations. It also incorporates modern mechanics as well as mobility in a 2D format to give it a whole new dimension.

RareBreed Made Games had one major mission: to make something easy to learn, yet difficult to master. Blazing Strike uses light-normal combinations similar to those seen in Marvel vs. Capcom. This allows players to launch combos with just a tap of the light-normal buttons. Blazing Strike also uses various comeback mechanics, including Critical Strike, which can be activated when your health is in critical state, giving you enhanced speed and combo opportunities.

Players will also be able to move more easily through the Rush mechanic. When a player presses the Rush trigger, this set of mechanics begins. Rush mode is activated and the player can execute many moves.

Blazing Strike depicts a dystopian future in which a resistance organization fights an oppressive government. It features fourteen fighters, each with their own gameplay and visual styles. On top of those 14 playable characters available right off the bat, the developer hints that there could be three boss characters that may or may not be playable in the final game.

The build I played featured just three of the 14 fighters that will be in the main game, but it gave me a good sense of the roster diversity RareBreed Makes Games is going for. Shinsuke exudes serious Ryu energy. Jake has some amazing moves that his glowing blue arm allows him to perform. But Pink Samurai is my favourite character from this build. Her visual style is the best of any characters that I can play. She also has a sword which gives her a longer reach, something Ryohei cannot match. 

Many of the character’s moves use the fighting games classic motions with quarter-circles and back-and-forths.Foreward With the addition of attack buttons for special moves and a few other features, Street Fighter muscle memory seamlessly transitions into Blazing Strike. As the developers intended, the gameplay is fluid and easy to grasp and play. After a brief time playing around with the player versus-CPU mode I could execute special moves and score wins against A.I. The Rush mechanics, which are activated by holding down the trigger, give you a noticeable speed boost and was instrumental in many of my more successful combos, which admittedly, were also aided greatly by the light-normal combo system.

I could only play Vs. mode. However, the final game version will have a story mode and an arcade mode. Training mode will be available. Online play will also include GGPO rollback. This will ensure that you get the most enjoyable online gaming experience possible with minimal lag. Blazing Strike will be available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and Switch in Q1-2022.